Obama appoints transgender political activist as advisor

 *Updated with press release link

President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson to the position of Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce. Ms. Simpson is likely to be the first transgender appointee of the Obama administration. In a National Center for Transgender Equality press release, Ms. Simpson is quoted as saying,:

''I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.''

Ms. Simpson has thirty years experience in the aerospace and defense industry. She most recently served as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. According to the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Ms. Simpson has an activist political background as well.:

"She has also been very active in political and community groups. She has served on the Board of Directors of two national organizations: Out & Equal and NCTE. In Arizona, she has been on the board of Wingspan, the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance, the Southern Arizona ACLU and the Arizona Human Rights Fund (now Equality Arizona)."